Chapter One

Return of a Hero

Zayna was still angry with him. Link could tell from the sly glances she gave him when he thought he wasn't looking. He smiled inwardly to himself as they trotted along on horseback through the forest. The path was worn and muddy, a slight breeze scattering the leaves through the swaying undergrowth. Hints of sunlight flashed through the branches of the tall, thin ancient trees of the forest. So many trees. So close together. Almost threatening.

He blinked. Where did that come from? Link snuffed the thoughts from his mind; he didn't need a coward's view of the world.

The Hero of Time considered his would-be apprentice for a moment. She'd hardly spoken a word to him since emerging from the desert. Link couldn't really blame her for that. He had gotten used to her using a scowl to communicate – in fact, he had managed to differentiate between her 'happy' scowl and her 'angry' scowl. Well, mostly he'd experienced the latter.

The test had been necessary. Link had withdrawn to the desert almost five summers ago. Living with the general population of Hyrule had become just too painful. So what, it was unheroic, but he'd decided to officially snip that branch of his life. As if you could retire from such a thing. At first he'd ignored all the requests, the messenger boys coming almost daily asking him to do this, save that, find this.

He'd made a point of disregarding the requests of the more regally dressed heralds. They were from her, obviouslyBesides, they weren't really quests, more like checks to see if he was still alive. Over time, they had grown less frequent and he had not received any summons for over two summers now. He wondered if they had finally forgotten. She wouldn't have, that was for certain.

It wasn't that he was being selfish. There were many people who could do the jobs that people asked of him. It's not like Hyrule was in danger anymore. A stray memory ghosted across his mind, and he frowned as his musings went down a different corner. A few months ago, a battered Goron had somehow made his way through the desert to find him. Link could remember how the poor soul had looked. One eye missing, one broken arm – it was a miracle that the Goron had found him. Most of all, Link remembered the haunted look in the young Goron's eyes.

The Goron spoke of terrible danger. Prophecies of huge upheavals in Hyrule. The coming of a great Evil. Link had listened in silence. He'd heard it all before. People came with many such stories and none were true.

Still. There had been something about this one. Something that had made him uneasy. The Goron spoke of his king's illness. Darunia, the Goron King was a few months away from death, and had specifically requested for the Hero of Time. Link had felt torn, old loyalties running deep, but when the Goron messenger died in the hut Link had called home, he decided he had to honour the sacrifice the young messenger had made just to bring him the message.

And so, the Hero of Time had sent out word that he was looking for an apprentice. Five summers and he was out of practice. Shameful, he knew. He was approaching his thirty-second summer himself. Still a young man. Physically, at least. But he felt that, for some reason, he should pass on his skills to someone else. It was time for a new hero. He would do whatever the Goron King asked, but then he would leave the land completely. There must be other places on this world.

Most of the would-be apprentices didn't even make it through the desert. Those that did, came barging through Xeno's Tavern boasting of future riches and fame. Of those, many fled as soon as he challenged them to a duel. All of them had mistaken his friend Shade – with his blond hair and his penchant for wearing green – for Link. One or two had stuck around for the duel, but did not seem to show much potential with a sword.

Zayna, though, had been different. He had known she was coming, of course. Link kept himself informed from messages passed onto him via messenger bird from the only other village in the desert. So he had waited at the tavern everyday with Shade. He had sensed the quiet determination within her, felt an intensity forged from the fiery heat of anger. Link mulled over that. She would need to work on that temper a bit, that was for certain. He could still remember the barrage of insults she'd hit him with after he had revealed who he truly was. Cloud-Cucco-Headed-Ganon-Faced-Pig, was it? Interesting. He smiled.

"Find something amusing?" Zayna had been watching him, and had finally decided to speak.

He turned to face her. Her horse, bought from a stablehand on the edges of the desert, shook its head, its hooves snapping twigs as it moved on. Zayna had cut her long black hair - a practical gesture - and it made her face look a lot younger than her twenty-five summers. She had come well prepared. On her back was a beautifully carved bow hidden behind a makeshift steel shield. At her waist dangled her sword.

"No, not at all". He smiled again. "It's a fine day and fine days make me smile." Under his breath he added. "You should try it one day."

She had caught it though. "What?"

"Nothing", he added cheerily, smiling once more, which only seemed to infuriate her further. "So … are you going to tell me more about yourself?"

There was a pause as she eyed him uncertainly. "Zayna," he said, "if you are to be my apprentice, I think I need to know more about you." He thought for a moment. "Besides, all the best teacher-apprentice bonds are based on trust and friendship." In fact, he mused, he had no idea what the best teacher-apprentice bonds were based on. So much for his preparation.

Zayna considered him with an amused glint in her eye. "I liked you better when you were quiet and brooding." Her lips twitched. "Reflective mood, was it?"

The Hero swayed from side to side in his saddle. "I've a lot on my mind, yes," he said. It was the truth. He blinked as a stray ray of sunlight peeked through the trees. "So…about you?"

She sighed. "There's not much to tell. I'm Hylian, as you can tell. I … spent some time at the Castle … things happened, I needed to leave." She shook her head. "Look, I just need to become a warrior."

"Anyone can teach you that. Why me?"

"I want to be the best."

Link chewed the inside of his cheek for a heartbeat. "And how would you define 'the best', Zayna?"

She ignored the question. "I need to keep moving". Then she smiled for the first time, and before Link could ask the question she knew he would ask she said, "I want some adventure. Going to the Goron King and taking on his quest sounds like fun."

Link caught the insincere edge to her voice, but decided not to push it further. For now. Instead he asked, "What did you do at the Castle?"

"I was an advisor to Queen Zelda."

Link stiffened at the name. There was an uncomfortably long pause. Zayna, her face a tangle of confusion, probably thought he wouldn't speak again for the rest of the day. Then he asked in a quiet voice, "How is she?"

Again, a pause. Link thought she must be carefully considering her answer, before she simply said, "She's fine."

"And the King?" Link tried to keep the hardness out of his voice, but failed. He could feel Zayna's eyes considering him, her gaze quizzical, but did not turn to face her or offer an explanation.

"He's in good health, too," she said. "Actually, they both seem to hide themselves in the castle. Zelda, moreso. No more public festivities, and no more grand speeches from the happy couple." Zayna pondered over her words. "Zelda hasn't been seen in public for over two summers now. Her subjects now think her existence is the stuff of legend and myth."

"Ah," he chuckled. "The legend of Zelda."

Link had heard the gossip, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. Well, he had tried not to anyway.

Perhaps sensing that the conversation had troubled him, Zayna moved onto a different topic. "So we head to Death Mountain, where the Goron Village is?"

"Yes, but it's a few days trek from here. There's a village near here. We should reach it by nightfall." He looked up to check the passage of the sun. "You know, five summers ago, there were hardly any villages in Hyrule. Now, there's dozens. I mean, they built one in the desert." He shook his head. "What kind of fools would do such a thing?!"

Link was caught off guard by the unfamiliar sound of Zayna laughing. He was then surprised by the warm tone in her voice as she said, "My sentiments exactly."

2

"I always thought the full moon looked beautiful," Zayna said as they trotted on after dark. She seemed to have lowered her guard somewhat, her words released with a more easy touch.

Link glanced up at the moon. "Yes. At least this one doesn't have an evil face on it".

Zayna gave him look that seemed to question his sanity. Link spit out the water he was drinking as he doubled over in laughter. "Never mind!" he said. Zayna must be wondering who exactly she had joined up with. Composing himself, Link said, "So... ah… don't you want to know anything about me?"

Zayna gave a little snort. "Is this the famed modesty of a hero?"

"No ... I meant …" Link fumbled as he realised that, indeed, he didn't really know what he meant.

"What's there to tell that every person in Hyrule doesn't know already?"

"Lots actually. It wasn't all just battling monsters and exploring dungeons."

"Well, hurrah for you." Zayna laughed as he playfully threw the water pouch at her. Link couldn't help but grin, either.

"We should be at the village by now," he said, looking a bit tense. "In fact, we should be able to hear the people."

Link shifted in his saddle and strained to listen, but the only noises he could hear were horses hooves and his own breathing. Oil lamps attached to their saddles bounced and jingled as they rode. The lamps were there to keep the Stalfos away, and he could hear one or two of the braver ones shuffling in the distance.

Suddenly, Link caught the glimpse of a wooden building not too far away. It was the right place for the village, but something was wrong. The building should be well lit with torches at this time of night, but it seemed dark ... and empty. His heart thudded loudly in his chest and his unease grew. Another building appeared. It was dark, too. And now he could smell something. Something burning. Despite the chilly temperature, sweat poured down his forehead.

"Is that the -?"

"Draw your weapon!" Link hissed as he slid off Epona, his horse. Zayna was taken aback by his tone, but silently did as she was told. They checked that their swords, bows, quivers and shields were in place. Tying their horses to a tree, they crept forward, their armour and weapons clinking as they moved.

"What's happened?" Zayna whispered, in short, ragged breaths. The Hero wasn't too impressed by the excited edge to her words. Glancing at her, he saw that her face was tense; she still realised the gravity of the situation. Good.

Link was about to reply, when she heard him gasp in shock. Zayna was peering down at her feet, grimacing. Link followed her gaze. A villager. A rotund woman, the type you would think that was always jolly and whom children always loved. The duo didn't need to look twice to know that the woman was dead.

Link strode into the main forecourt of the village, gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly that his fingers almost drew blood. All the buildings were dark. Small fires crackled in some places, a trail of smoke floating into the air. Bodies lay everywhere, their faces contorted in terror and pain. Men. Women. Children.

One little girl lay in front of them, clutching a doll, eyes wide open in what seemed to be surprise, the dark stain of blood tainting her dress.

Zayna felt her anger rise as, kneeling, she closed the girl's eyes. "Who would do such a thing?"

"Not the Stalfos." Link's voice was controlled, but the tenseness in the muscles of his neck betrayed the fact he was choking his feelings down. "People did this, obviously."

"We should give them a proper burial. There's no honour leaving them laying like this."

"The ones that did this. They're the ones with no honour."

It took them all night, but they managed. After a quick search, they discovered a small graveyard in one corner of the village. Link dug, while Zayna brought the bodies. They worked silently, the grimness they felt inside mirrored the oppressive atmosphere weighing down on the entire area like a physical thing. By the time they finished they were filthy and exhausted. They had plenty of rations - dried meat, bread and crumbly cheese with a tangy taste. Neither had felt like eating. Even the heavens joined in, unleashing a torrent of rain that, thankfully, washed away the blood and put out the fires, leaving sizzling mounds of ash.

"Good," Zayna sniffed, glancing at the sky. "At least someone weeps for them."

Link turned to speak to her, but she had slipped into one of the huts before he had the chance. She was searching for clues, any hint as to the perpetrators of this vile act. Link didn't really want to see what other horrors lay indoors. Sometimes he noticed that she emerged from a hut even more tightlipped and ferociously scowled than usual. He heard a cucco crow as the first rays of sunlight split open the darkness of night. He looked back at the makeshift graveyard and felt sick from the large amount of new graves there. This was no way to die. An entire village! But why?

"Link!" Zayna rushed out of the hut, clutching something in her hand. Face pale and out of breath, she held up two small items. "Look."

One was a piece of cloth with a crest on it. The other an arrow. "Someone must have fought back". She explained, with a hint of pride. "Took these off the attackers."

Link looked at the crest and the arrow, a dull feeling in the pit of his heart. No, this couldn't be right. Both the cloth and the arrow had the Triforce symbol of the Royal Family upon it.

"Royal Guards did this?!" Link asked incredulously.

"Maybe," Zayna answered. "Maybe not."

"Whoever did this … can't be allowed to escape justice," he said.

Zayna's eyes flashed dangerously. Link noticed that she was clenching and unclenching her fist so violently that the skin threatened to split. Then he realised that he himself had his sword still ready while his other hand idly stroked the feathers of an arrow.

"Right," she said. "We should head to the Castle to find out, no?"

Again, Link stiffened. He hadn't been to the castle in many summers and had no inclination to do so. Link sighed and walked away. "Maybe these graves need headstones. A memorial or something."

Zayna noticed his indecision and ran after him. "Link," Zayna said, her voice soft. "People have died here. They weren't just killed, they were butchered!"

Link looked at some rocks with such intense concentration it was obvious that it was forced. "Maybe I could do something with these. Carve a nice tribute, yes?"

"Children were killed," Zayna continued. "Children, Link, children. Isn't a hero supposed to set things right?" She said the last with a hint of a smile. "Besides," she sniffed. "It's good for my 'Heroine' training."

Link gazed towards the rising sun, in the direction where the castle lay and pondered for a moment. The crossroads of fate and brought him to this decision. Closing his eyes, he knew that he'd never really be free from his destiny, his fate to be the Hero of Hyrule. He motioned at his apprentice. "Let's go."